Werner & Mertz, the German company that produces eco-friendly "Frosch" cleaning products, has been openly critical of the viability of chemical recycling processes for plastic waste. In a PR interview published on the company’s website at the end of April, the firm’s head of Public Affairs Timothy Glaz says he believes that Germany’s new Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action will eventually bar the use of the technology "because it is proven to harm the climate and the environment.”
The Ministry has a great opportunity to "do something right for the environment and block this completely senseless technology,” Mr Glaz said. It could not be acceptable that "a process that is this harmful to the climate is supported by public funds. The money would be better used elsewhere.”
Opinions on chemical recycling are sharply divided. The chemical and petrochemical industries are eagerly pursuing this technology. Multinational oil companies, such as Shell, Total Energies and Austria’s OMV, as well as chemical concerns such as BASF see chemical recycling as a crucial foundation for their future in a de-carbonised, climate-neutral world....
